Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Cameroon
Cameroon: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 64.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
64.8%
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
19th
of 184 countries
All-time high
87.6%
in 1971
All-time low
48.5%
in 2016
Years of data
9
1971–2023
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Cameroon, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Cameroon stood at 64.8%.
The figure is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Cameroon peaked at 87.6% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 48.5%, in 2016.
That places Cameroon 19th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 87.6% | — |
| 1972 | 86.9% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 58.6% | -32.5% |
| 2014 | 54.1% | -7.7% |
| 2015 | 52.9% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 48.5% | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 63.1% | +30.0% |
| 2022 | 62.3% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 64.8% | +4.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 64.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 1.7× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 64.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 55.3%, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 87.2% | 86.9% | 87.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 53.5% | 48.5% | 58.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 63.4% | 62.3% | 64.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 16 Mozambique 67.0% compare
- 17 Lao People's Democratic Republic 65.7% compare
- 18 Guatemala 65.6% compare
- 20 Yemen 62.9% compare
- 21 Honduras 62.1% compare
- 22 Papua New Guinea 61.9% compare
More education data for Cameroon
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,092 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 611,326 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 321,494 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 322,873 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.01 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1816 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Cameroon?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Cameroon was 64.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 87.6% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.5% in 2016.
- How does Cameroon rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Cameroon ranks 19th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release